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tbznewberry · 1 year

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the boyz become human

Part 2

In a collaboration with Cyberlife, you've helped create 11 new androids to be used in the police force, but they seem to have a certain humanly soft spot for their creator.

Genre: yandere, sci-fi, futuristic, Detroit become human AU

Warnings: I'm not sure what to put to be honest, creepy behavior?

A/N: this was originally a chapter story that never got done, this is the first 3 chapters, I might post more chapters but we'll see

"Follow my hand, good job."

The nice lady in front of him holds up her fingers and he follows them with his eyes back and forth. She moves closer, picks up a small flashlight and shines in his eyes. He doesn't move. She smiles proudly and pulls back, looking at the other person in the laboratory.

"This one has functional eyes", she says.

"Good, which one was that?" the human male says, looking at his clipboard in hand.

"The third one", she says.

"God, I’ll never know who you mean! You should name them!”

“Me?”

“Yeah? They're your creations."

"Not really, I just planned how they were supposed to look, it was your people that built them.” She looks at the android in front of her. “Nevertheless, they don't need any. They aren't going to be household androids."

"But we have eleven of them, it'd be easier to get their names. I know everyone will mix them up calling them the first, the second and whatever." He points at the android in front of the woman. "Start with him. Was he the third?"

She nods and turns to the android, frowning. "I'll name him Younghoon."

"Alright, and the others?"

She gives them all a name each, saying that she’s picking the first that comes to mind.

“You haven’t told me what they’ll be used for”, the woman says. “Why have I helped Cyberlife build them? I know that they’re meant for something special since you don’t use the normal models. You’re making brand new ones. If they’re not going to be household androids … then what are they going to do?”

“They’ll be used by the police. We already have interrogation and detective androids, but these ones are different.” The man breaks out into a smile. “They can fight … they can manipulate … they can seduce, they’re quicker than any other android, they charge quickly, they have scanners to read humans feelings … and they’re perfect with children! They’ll be perfect in the police force. They’ll be amazing!”

The woman in front of Younghoon nods. He follows her motions with his eyes, studying her.

“That does sound amazing”, she says thoughtfully. “It explains a lot about why you needed them to be handsome. You can’t seduce a criminal with ugly androids, can you?”

The man chuckles. “No. You can’t. Thank you for being such a good designer.”

“Thank you for bringing my sketches to life …” She looks at the android sitting in front of her up and down with proud eyes, “... they’re remarkable.”

“We’re so happy you like them. Cyberlife will send you a check.”

“I know. I could use some money. How much for each android?”

“Around $250 000.”

“Oh shit.”

The man laughs again. Y/N lifts her eyebrows amusingly.

“You don’t even know how much money you’ll get for the job?” he asks. “And still you took it?”

The woman smiles shyly. “Of course, this job would look great on my resume in the future. Who wouldn’t want to work for Cyberlife?”

The man smiles and shakes his head, walking over to the window.

“Y/N”, the man says. “We should start the next test. It’s getting late and I think you need to go home soon.”

Y/N nods and stands up.

“What’s the next test?” she asks.

“Physical test”, the man says, looking through his list. “Strength, speed, reflexes and so on.”

Y/N looks at the androids.

“Stand up”, she says.

They all stand up at the same time and wait for their next instruction. They’re different heights with different hair colors and different facial features. But they all wear the same outfit — a gray suit with their serial number, a white shirt and some glowing parts. Y/N notices how Eric’s dark blue-gray hair is falling over his eyes and gently pushes it up again. She gives him a smile.

"Thank you", he says.

Y/N looks at the man behind her in surprise.

"Who programmed him to say that?" she asks. "I thought they were only programmed to answer when you speak to them?"

"If you give them something or do something for them, they'll thank you", the man says.

"How polite."

She looks at Eric again, placing her hand on his cheek. He can feel her warmth. It’s not artificial, it’s not produced or charged — it’s human.

"It's almost scary how human they feel and look", she says. "If I didn't see the emotion indicator on his temple, I'd think he was a human in an android's suit. His skin is so soft."

"Yeah, we made them warm for the victims sake", the man says. "They're supposed to comfort victims in any situation and if they don't feel warm and human, it might make the situation worse." The main smirks slightly. "We've made sure their hugs are as comforting and welcoming as possible. We made this survey of what type of hugs are the best and gave them all the most voted ones. Smart, right?"

Y/N smiles mischievously.

"You want to try it out, don't you?" the man asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe", she giggles. "I created them, I should get to test their abilities out."

"Then what are you waiting for? Just choose one."

Y/N looks at the row of androids, visibly thinking. She walks over to Jaehyun.

"Do I give him a command or …?" she asks.

"No, he knows that you want a hug, he can scan you. He'll choose what type of hug he'll give you."

"Right, sorry. They're so advanced I forget everything."

The android opens his arms and she walks right into the embrace. He closes his arms around her tightly. Her warmth is flowing from under her white shirt.

"They have three different types of embraces", the man says. "Loving, comforting and protecting."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, a loving one is when there's nothing wrong. We call it 'the everyday hug'. Then there's the comforting feeling of a tighter but more sentimental hug for when the victims are crying or scared. And the last one, is the one he's doing right now … weirdly enough."

"The protective hold?"

"Yeah … it only occurs when the victim is in danger … but you're not. The protective embrace is a tight, firm hug that isn't supposed to be easy to get out of. If the victim is in danger, then it shouldn't be easy to get out of." The man looks through his papers. "Weird, we've tested it before with different men, women and children, they haven't given the protective hug to any of them."

Y/N taps the android on his arm. He looks down at her hand. It'd be so easy to break, so important to protect.

"Let me go", she says.

Jaehyun opens his arms and she leaves. The warmth lingers on his hands.

“Let’s start with the real test.”

Kevin follows Y/N with his eyes. She’s walking to the other side of the room to collect something. She picks up a red, little ball in her hand, bouncing it on the hard floor a couple of times.

“Now throw it”, the man says. “At any of them.”

“What if I hurt them?” she wonders hesitantly.

“They’re androids, they won’t feel it.”

“Well … what if I break them instead?”

“They’re equipped with quick reflexes, don’t worry.”

Y/N looks at the androids with a concerned gaze in her eyes. They can scan her, see how nervous she feels. It’s almost enough to make them ask how she’s feeling to see if she needs to be protected. She throws the ball at them. Chanhee catches it before it hits any of them.

“Woah”, she gasps in shock. “Those are really quick reflexes.”

Chanhee holds out the ball to her. She takes it gently and backs away to throw again. Sangyeon catches it this time and gives it back.

“I’m so scared to damage them”, the woman says, throwing an uncertain gaze in their direction. “They’re so advanced and so many people have been working on them. I’d feel horrible if I broke them.”

“You won’t”, the human male says. “They’re built for that.”

She throws the ball a few more times before moving onto the next test. Strength. The man places out boxing bags with a strength meter. One by one, they’re allowed to punch it, scoring higher than anyone has done before.

“Shit, one blow to my head and it’ll fall off”, she whispers. “They can seriously hurt someone.”

“They can, but they won’t if it isn’t necessary”, the man says. “They’re more for protecting people than hurting them. Y/N, would you want to be the guinea pig for that?”

“For what?”

“I’ll slap your wrist and we’ll see how they react. If I’m correct, they’ll go into protection mode.”

The woman nods. The human male rolls up her sleeve on her left arm and hits her wrist fast and hard with two fingers. A ‘swoosh’ along with a ‘snitch’ echoes throughout the room. She whimpers and backs away. The first one to reach her is Haknyeon, pulling her back from the male in the room as the others form a barricade between her and the man. Haknyeon embraces her in that tight hug again. He hides her face down into his shoulder.

“If I were to put up a fight now, they’d attack”, the man says. “But I won’t.”

Changmin turns around and lifts up Y/N’s arm in his hands to examine it. There’s nothing to see, but he can’t help but keep holding her arm.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yes, yes, I’m okay”, she answers. “You can stop now. Everything is okay.”

The eleven androids listen, going back to their positions. All but one.

“Haknyeon, you can let Y/N go now”, the man says.

“She’s not safe yet”, Haknyeon answers.

“Yes, I’m safe”, Y/N says, tapping his arm. “You can let me go now.”

“You’re not safe.”

“Is this a malfunction?”

The man frowns. “I’m not sure. What would you be in danger of?”

“You”, Haknyeon answers.

“No, he’s not a threat”, Y/N reassures him. “I’m okay, he’s not dangerous, it was all a test. Haknyeon, please, let me go.”

The eleven androids scan her and grow cautious again. She’s afraid. They go into protective mode once more.

“I don’t think you thought this through”, Y/N whispers, eyes on the male that caused this situation.

“Guys, it’s okay, it was just a test.”

She places her hand over Haknyeon’s. He looks down at her hand, feeling the warmth ooze from it. Should he let her go? He can detect her fear, but she promises that she’s alright. This kind of morality isn’t programmed for him. He senses fear, he can’t let her go until she’s not afraid anymore.

“Well, since this isn’t working …”, she starts mumbling before trying to break free from Haknyeon’s arms.

He doesn’t budge. Instead, his grip grows tighter. He can’t let her go. She’s in danger, she can’t leave his arms.

“Fucking dammit!” she mutters, giving up. “What do I do?”

“I’m not sure”, the man replies, looking through the papers.

“Maybe you should leave the room? They see you as the threat.”

The man nods and leaves the room. The eleven androids relax. Instead of looking at the guy, they turn towards the woman, having their full attention to her.

“You’re still scared”, Jacob says.

“I’m not afraid of the man, he’s not a threat”, she says.

“Then what are you scared of?” Kevin asks.

“Well … you … kind of. Just please let me go now. Scan me. I’m not scared anymore.”

She’s right.

“Let her go”, Chanhee says.

Haknyeon does. She hurries over to the door and lets her colleague in again.

“I think i should go”, Y/N says, grabbing her beige coat. “I don’t want that to happen again. You should check with the ones programming them. That shouldn’t happen with a real victim.”

“You’ll be here for the presentation, right?” the man asks. “You should be the one introducing them to the police.”

“I think so”, she says. “I’ll go now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Y/N. Get home safely and sleep well.”

She thanks him, wishes him the same and leaves. The androids follow her with their eyes until she’s left the laboratory. The man turns to the androids.

“Well, I guess that means bedtime for you”, he says, clapping his hands once. “Let’s get you charged and ready for tomorrow.”

The androids sit down on their chairs as the man walks behind them, plugging the cords into the back of their necks. Sunwoo can feel how he gets shut off, eyes falling shut, everything turning black. The last thing he sees is a picture of the woman that created them.

——♤——

She's nervous. They can tell … both from scanning her and her walking back and forth across the floor. She's wearing a white suit that enhances all of her features. The only thing separating them and the audience is a giant, red curtain.

"Y/N", Juyeon says. "You're stressed."

"I know", she answers quickly. "I'm about to hold a speech in front of a thousand people! They're Cyberlife workers, cops, journalists … I can't do it."

"Yes, you can", Chanhee says, taking a step forward and hugging her in the comforting manner he’s been programmed with. He can feel that it’s not enough. "Look at me."

And she does. He holds his hands on her upper arms. Everything about her is so human. Everything from how her gaze falters, hands tremble and chest rises and falls. Neither Chanhee or the others do any of that.

"Breathe in and breathe out with me", he says, doing the technique he's programmed with.

She breathes along with him until he can't detect the same level of nervousness anymore. He lets her go.

"Everything we did in the laboratory last week will be presented live on the stage", Y/N says. "You'll have to show them what you showed me and my colleague. But you can do that, I'm sure. You’re programmed to perfection.” She clears her throat. “Do any of you feel that there's something wrong with your programming or if there are any parts that are loose?"

They answer negatively.

"Good", Y/N says, fixing Younghoon’s tie. “You’ll do better than me out there. I’m jealous … you can’t feel nervous.”

“No, we can’t”, Kevin says.

Y/N fixes her hair, but it gets stuck on one of the buttons in the suit and her shaky fingers can’t untie it.

“Can you help me?” she asks, looking at Sangyeon. “I can’t turn my head up if I’m stuck on the button.”

He takes a smooth step forward and starts untying her hair from the button.

“Is that okay?” he asks as the hair is loose.

“Yes, it’s okay, thank you”, Y/N answers with a smile. “Go back to the line now before the curtain is removed. Perfection, okay?”

“Yes, ma'am”, Kevin says.

“Don’t move from your positions. Last week shouldn’t be repeated … not here. Whatever your scanners say … I’m alright, okay?”

“Okay”, the eleven men answer.

The woman fixes their ties, hair and blazers before brushing off her own white clothes. The red curtains pull to the side and she freezes. Sunwoo’s scanner shows that her anxiety is rising. His instinct is to walk over to her and help her, but there’s an invisible wall that prevents him from doing that. An order. Don’t move from your positions.

“Welcome!” Y/N smiles. “On the behalf of Cyberlife, I am proud to present the coming generations of androids!”

She walks to the side of the stage to show the eleven androids. A wave of applause roars throughout the auditorium. It’s maxed to its capacity.

Y/N talks on and on about what special features the eleven androids have that separates them from the rest of the androids Cyberlife has produced. Curious and impressed eyes wander over the androids, looking at them up and down. They can detect some lust in the audience, some are doing more than admiring them.

One by one, they show their strength, speed and communication ability. The crowd cheers for them.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Y/N smiles. "They will be working undercover, hence why their faces aren't like the other androids Cyberlife given to the police force. Connor, for an example." Y/N looks at them up and down and all they can detect is sadness although she smiles. "They'll do just fine, I'm sure of it. Thank you for listening. They will be put into work before the month is over."

The crowd applause for the last time before the red curtain separate them again. Y/N breathes out shakily and removes the headset she's been using.

"You can move now", she says.

"Why are you sad?" Jaehyun asks.

"I'm not sad, I- …" she interrupts herself. "I guess there's no need to lie to you. You can tell. Well, I'm just a little sad because this is probably the last time we'll see each other."

The LED rings on the androids temples flashes yellow. Why aren't they going to meet? What has happened? If she's sad, does that mean something bad will happen?

"Why?" Haknyeon asks.

"My job here is done", Y/N sighs. "You'll be given to the police next week or so … and then your real life starts."

None of the androids answer. They're trying to process the newly given information. It doesn't make sense. She created them, she can't leave them now. From the moment they opened their eyes the first time she's been there.

"I guess I'm just a little sad my work is over", she says, shrugging. "But it's been nice to meet you. I'm sure you'll do great. I'll cheer you on."

"Will you visit?" Changmin asks. "We'd appreciate it."

"I don't think so. I don't want to grow attached to you. You have work to do and it wouldn't be appropriate. You're androids … you don't have feelings … I'd just hurt myself."

Being androids, they can't understand what she's meaning. Confused, they look at her.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asks. "We can't understand emotions."

"Well … what I mean is that you're programmed to seduce and I made you handsome. Even I would fall for you and that wouldn't be good for anyone. You'd seduce me without thinking and I'd be left hoping for something that'd never be able to happen. And even if that wouldn’t happen … I’d expect too much from you and get hurt."

"We understand", Chanhee says.

Silence.

"I'll get going now", Y/N says and picks up her bag. "Good luck with everything. Wait, before I go, can I ask you something, Jaehyun?"

"Of course", he answers.

"When you hugged me, you held the protective hold. My coworker said that none of you had ever done that to any of the participants that tried it out. Why?"

"They weren't in any danger", Jaehyun answers.

"I wasn't either. So why?"

Jaehyun looks into her eyes, scanning her. Confusion.

"You're our creator", he answers. "We’ll always need to protect you."

#kpop yandere #yandere kpop #yandere #the boyz yandere #detroit become human #kpop fanfic #the boyz fanfic

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piizunn · 6 months

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orville peck: appropriation and intellectual property

Orville Peck is a white South African man who has built his entire career off of colonial North American western aesthetics that are directly influenced by Métis and First Nations cultures and aesthetics. This aesthetic is incredibly loaded and has a history that he seemingly has no understanding of other than the fact that often cowboys were queer. In fact, Peck has gone so far as to rip off Métis and Saulteaux artist Dayna Danger.

Fig. 1: Danger, Dayna. Big’Uns: Adrienne, 2017. Courtesy of the artist’s website.

Fig. 2: Orville Peck for Alternative Press Magazine, January 2021

The first image is from a series of similar photographs created by Dayna Danger, well known contemporary artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The second image is Orville Peck's cover for Alternative Press magazine's January 2021 issue. In addition to the responsibility of the photographers and stylists to be researching artwork and influences and giving proper credit, it is also up to all parties to understand the colonial implications of the material culture represented in Peck's magazine cover.

Given that Peck is a white South African man I highly doubt he has an actual understanding of how North America was colonized, how animals like bison were hunted into near extinction by white settlers seeking to starve the First Nations and Métis people into extinction as a tool in their ongoing genocide. Many populations of native fauna are still recovering from this practice. In addition to slaughtering millions of animals, white settlers posed proudly with their trophies, mountains of skulls representing the loss of our animals and their triumph over nature and our people.

Fig. 3: Men standing with pile of buffalo skulls, Michigan Carbon Works, Rougeville MI, 1892. Photo from Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

Rather than providing an artistic compliment on the history of North American colonialism and cowboy culture, Orville Peck culture hopped from one settler-colonial state to another, to profit from and flatten the aesthetic into something simply rooted in queer culture rather than Black, Mexican, Métis, and First Nations communities and histories.

Works Cited:

Alternative Press. Orville Peck cover, January 2021.

Danger, Dayna. Big'Uns: Adrienne, 2017. https://www.daynadanger.com/photography

Tascheru Mamers, Danielle. Men standing with pile of buffalo skulls, Michigan Carbon Works, Rougeville MI, 1892. Photo from Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library. December 2020.

#should i go more in depth lol #orville peck #i'm a hater #music #colonialism #riel text

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austinramsaygames · 5 months

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A False Campaign Intro

Yesterday I recorded an episode with Campaign Spotlight as a guest talking about the intersection and differences between home games and actual play. It was a very rewarding interview and I'm excited to share it when it comes out in a few months. Part of their format is that every episode starts with a monologue from the guest reading the opening text crawl of their game. Well, I don't do that kind of opening to my campaigns so I had to make something from scratch for it. I was reasonably happy with what I wrote going in but as I read it aloud and saw the reactions from the host it became something I wanted to share. So here's the opening narration for The Furies: a Beam Saber Rush Wars campaign.

This is a world similar to but not our own. A world where cars have an even greater importance than in our world. They are both an identity and a conduit for power. Those esteemed few who can tap into a car’s true potential become Heroes and Villains the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Trojan War. The bond between driver and vehicle for many is a holy one. Detroit, the motor city. Once a mover and shaker in our world was a gargantuan presence in this one, but much like ours it's most fondly remembered in the history of decades ago and the residents who cling to its true nature as their homes. Residents like The Furies, a girl gang at the forefront of the illegal street racing scene that thrives on the rusting body of the city. Cinderella "Candy" Stiehl, the gang's de facto leader and muscle, is short, round, commanding, and loyal. A bulldog of a woman whose mob ties had her take the fall for a job gone wrong, and spent years in prison then the government's Jaghund task force in penance. Free once again, both from the shackles of prison and her family, she returns to crime in her monster truck, The Carolina Reaper, as it's the only way she knows how to move through the world. May Day, the group's infiltrator, is in many ways the opposite of Candy: tall, lean, impulsive and chaotic, but just as fiercely loyal as any other member of the gang. After dropping out of her interpretative dance college due to her sister's illness, she was lost at sea until she found her place first in the fans of the racing scene, and then in The Furies. Now she's strapped some nos to her thigh high roller skates, and makes sure that no one can predict what her street family does next. Rebecca Bolger, the newest member of The Furies and its mysterious face. Classically beautiful and verbally cunning, she brings info and gear from unexplained and often elided connections. No hard questions have been asked of her yet, as she's been as willing as the rest to put her body and her car, the sports coupe Bella, on the line for the girls. Now, a multi billion dollar company, Enterax, run by a man whose fans consider him a genius, has started to move in on Detroit. City council and business leaders are pleased as punch at the prospect of a new Giga Factory being built in one of the city's poorest neighbourhoods, but The Furies have their ear to the ground and can read between the lines. Whistleblower suicides, OSHA violations, disappearing local activists, battery fires. While Enterax might have a squeaky clean image those who look a bit closer and don't turn away find a company that doesn't care for its workers, customers, or neighbours, only the shareholders and its founder's ego. Proper channels haven't stopped Enterax, and respectable resistance hasn't done anything either. Lucky for Detroit there's a group of pissed off girls willing to crash this company's plans, parties, and portfolio. And they'll do it one twisted wreck of an electric vehicle at a time.

#ttrpg #beam saber #indie ttrpg #actual play #podcast #my writing #Beam Saber: Rush Wars #Rush Wars

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asexual-spongebob · 2 months

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hi guys I’m really bored so.

wots siren lore/ fact dump!!

• When a siren is sad, their songs sound like that of whale songs.

• Sirens are often misunderstood, most don’t intentionally lure sailors to their deaths. It just happens unfortunately.

• Sirens whimper when sad or injured, much like dogs. They also wag their tails like dogs do. They also swish their tails like cats.

• There are both salt water and fresh water sirens. Fresh water sirens aren’t as common but if you lurk in Lake Michigan long enough, you may find a siren.

• Sirens purr when happy. Much like cats. They also hiss and growl like cats and dogs.

• Sirens have webbed, scaly fingers. • The typical siren can go up to 75 miles per hour.

• Sirens sleep much like cats and dogs.

• Sirens mostly eat fish. Some prefer shellfish though.

• They have sharp, pointy vampire like fangs. • Sirens like sleeping in kelp patches. • Most sirens don’t date aliens, (unless ur Dib or Gaz that is.)

• Surprisingly, most sirens don’t like salmon. Unless you’re Dib that is. No one knows why. Dib is just different I guess.

• Somehow, Zim can pick up the Dib-siren, no one knows how or why.

• When sirens are happy, they make dolphin like noises.

• If a human is turned into a siren, (which can happen via a curse from an object, or via a specific chemical mixture.) their transformation into a siren is very painful. Growing fangs, the excruciating fusion of legs, the strange sensation of scales appearing on the hands. It’s just not very fun. (Though, being fully transformed into a siren is funner >:3)

• Wail Of The Siren takes place in a weird fictional version of Detroit where salt water beaches exist somehow.

• Fresh water sirens weren’t discovered until the 60s, when a mysterious man discovered one dead, and washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan. However, people knew the existence of Salt water sirens for much longer. There’s many tales of sailors and others encountering the scaly creatures, but none are as famous as the tale of The Detroit Beach Monster. The tale goes that in 1965, two 13 year olds named Sandy Mason and Allen Denton encountered a siren, who tried to lure them to their deaths, but failed.

• Tak built a resistance to water just for Gaz. Zim hasn’t though. He still screams “IT BURNS!!!” Any time Dib accidentally splashes him.

• Never mess with a siren when they’re angry, it will not end well.

• Sirens either eat their food like rabid animals or very neatly. Dib eats his fish like a rabid animal, while Gaz eats her’s very neatly. Sometimes a bit feral though.

#kitty giggles #invader zim #wail of the siren au #invader zim au #zadr #tagr #iz au #lore dump #fun facts

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sunskate · 4 months

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VM show ep 3 Chiddy and Weapo

Patrick had moved to the Detroit Skating Club in the summer of 2013 so was nearby to cameo on the show. one of the few lighter sequences with Scott (this might be the first time he smiles big or laughs for real without any trace of discomfort so far). they go cart race, Patrick says he realized he doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, that eating crap one day instead of eating the perfect meal the perfect way doesn't have to affect his Olympics (in contrast to Tessa wondering whether eating a grape before PYC will affect hers)

Patrick says it's hard to find time to talk to his gf especially at the end of the day when he's tired, and Scott says "they always get the worst of you, right? you gave all your energy to everyone else, i get home, you have nothing left, and that's what they get. god, we should get together and talk more often. making me feel all good. Scott and Patrick" - i know it’s on camera but him making such a heavy statement then being like glad we talked, go us! 😅💀this makes them seem close, but at the same time, he's saying they don't see each other much. maybe when you're an athlete at this level, you have "pick up where you left off" friendships, because you don't have time

the Weapo dinner is at Shiro's restaurant in Novi (which is supposedly haunted by the ghost of the man who built the mansion it's in)

T: (VO) our Canadian teammates, Kaitlyn and Andrew, have invited us to dinner (and VM asked if their camera crew could come? this feels so contrived 😅)

Kaitlyn says: "it feels so cool, i don't know how many other people have this kind of connection we have all together"

but this is cut so that VM look surprised that Weapo make it work being together 24/7 - even though Tessa later says "i often marvel at that fact." Weapo have lived nearby since 2009, so it shouldn't be a revelation 😬 this might be the editors massaging this storyline to say "VM aren't getting along!" and just not doing a great job of it - like the editing here-- the reactions and length of the silences after Kaitlyn asks "how about you?" feel tweaked - the way the background noise drops out for a few beats as soon as Kaitlyn asks the question to make it feel more like crickets and how they add humorous music at the end -

but can you think of another time in their history where either one of them says something like this?

S: we get on each other's nerves until one of us snaps!

T: they literally spend all of their time together, and i often marvel at that fact because i'm not sure Scott and i would survive that sort of setup

how much is Scott joking? are they being more truthful here than other times? what's odd to me is that it's Tessa who's doing the commenting on how they're not getting along, and we're not seeing Scott. just from how uncomfortable he looks throughout this show, i wonder if he was really reticent to talk about Tessa and didn't give them anything they could use. so he gets thrown under the bus by a one sided narrative. we're almost at the end of this storyline, thank goodness

#vm show

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landofzero-archive · 4 months

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Absolute - Prologue

(Location: Michigan Townscape)

(One year before ES’s founding. After the Yumenosaki Revolution, Spring)

(A certain place in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America)

(In the WNW district, where the competition for the top idols of the world, Absolute, is held)

Jun: —”Shaka”?

Nagisa: …… That’s the name of the world’s number one idol?

Hiyori: Even though they’re a foreigner, isn’t that the name of the Shakyamuni Buddha?(1) That’s fairly unusual, isn’t it?

Ibara: If I’m not mistaken the Buddha is already a foreigner to begin with. It’s perverted nationalism and simply arrogant to believe everything comes from one’s own country.

In regards to idol culture, it’s the same thing.

This country’s idol culture was built from the ground up by a certain “great person,” and has prevailed to this day— or at least that’s what the public believes.

Naturally, that great person can’t create perfection from nought. He is not God, after all.

That person invented what we call idols– and while he built up and developed the idol industry, that foundation gave life to a sort of culture.

That culture was produced right in this very Detroit, Michigan, and continues to this day through what’s known as “Absolute” culture.

All around the world, there was an explosion of unique trends stemming from rock n’ roll culture, blending with American pop culture to yield a strange new form—

As a result, the so-to-speak “prototypical idol” arose in this area and the popularity and economic boost revived what had once been an area on the decline—

Well, that’s the general feel of what happened.

Jun: Jeez, that explanation went in one ear and right out the other.

Ibara: Fufu. Reliable workers don’t need to understand everything, Jun♪

Nagisa: …… That’s true, isn’t it.

…… If I remember correctly, Father liked foreign cultures.

Jun: ? Um, what d’you mean your old man?

Nagisa: …… Father possibly also witnessed this area’s “Absolute” in his youth.

…… He was deeply moved by it, and built the groundwork for his own utopia– his own paradise.

…… And thus, idols were born.

Hiyori: History and feelings, huh? That kind of talk is SO bo~ring!

So what’s the big idea? You crammed us into a plane to fly to some foreign country, and all you do is talk about your history knowledge?

Ibara: No, of course not.

Our goal is to observe the source, or rather, the home, of idol culture, Absolute’s, current form.

To the whole world, Japan’s idol culture just looks like Absolute culture that’s popular in the islands of the Far East.

By overturning that expectation, we will conquer the world.

And that’s why we’ll be observing the enemy’s movements.

Hiyori: Seriously, bragging with that big mouth of yours, conquering the world? I thought we were still hardly recognized back home, hm?

I wouldn’t call a child who’s only just started playing baseball going to see a Major League game “enemy observation!” It’s quite funny~♪

Ibara: Yes, yes, just now I was certainly talking big.

Even so, one day it surely will happen.

Nagisa: …… Well, it’s better to dream big, isn’t it?

Jun: Uuu. I don’t think I have the time to check out Absolute n’ stuff~......

I’m kinda embarrassed to say it but this is my first time being overseas so I’m pretty hyped.

It’s pretty amazing…… As a kid I was stuck inside my cramped closet, but now I’ve crossed the ocean to a distant country.

Ibara: Together, we’ll advance further, wider, deeper, higher—

Undoubtedly, we’ll be able to see as many wonderful sights as we’d like.

Jun: You’ve been talking about something like a dream this whole time~. Haha, you’re also having fun being overseas♪

Ibara: I’ll admit, I’m somewhat moved. Yes, I am excited as well.

At last, “I” feel like I’ve reached the feet of the pieces of shit who ruined my life.

Jun: ………?

Nagisa: …… I don’t really understand, but shouldn’t we stop chatting and head to the venue?

…… Absolute maintains its primordial wildness, and the spectators are so discordant that it’d be nigh unthinkable in japan.

Hiyori: Well, its catchphrase is “Fanatic Festival,” isn’t it?

Jun: Is it a horror movie or somethin’?

Ibara: Yes. It would be a disaster if our seats were stolen by such raucous people, so let’s get to the venue early.

Please take care to not get lost, everyone♪

TL Note:

This refers to the very first Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.

Directory | Next

#ensemble stars #enstars #enstars translation #ibara saegusa #nagisa ran #jun sazanami #hiyori tomoe #era: !!#type: event

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thirst2 · 30 days

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After finding out where I was from a woman on the train in Boston smiles and tells me not to worry she hears that in the next five to ten years Detroit is going to be the Midwestern New York I in turn worry for obvious reasons the rats in New York are tall enough to drive taxis the people in New York are all seemingly allergic to saying excuse me those are problems we do not want three years later I pick up a paper and the headline reads welcome to the new Detroit and I'm quickly reminded of something my grandmother once said you can sell a house a hundred times but the walls will still tell stories on the first family that owned it you can't throw soil on top of a land of living people then try to convince the outside world that their home was graveyard before it began to blossom bike lanes and fine dining this is not a city attempting to transition into another city it's Detroit it's churches in old buildings that lean like drunk lovers but still open every Sunday for worship it's Coney Island hot dogs and Faygo pop on the days when you wanna feel like you were the only one told the secret It's what up doe and water shut offs a woman planting flowers in potholes a line straight out of a tupac poem it's still here because we didn't change our zip codes when our schools started shutting down our sports teams started losing and our air started smelling like gun smoke and new money it's Motown it's a homeless man in bright colors on the corner of Selden and Second in bright colors and music-less headphones always dancing like his imaginary check had more money on it than he expected and yea sometimes the suburban folks treat the city like a party they weren't invited to leave trash start fights then exit before the police show up sometimes the police don't show up it's not perfect but it's a city that held its place in line until God returned from an extended lunch break a place where any person on the streets will still politely give you directions even when they themselves feel lost it's a beast that swallowed my brother along with countless other friends and family members long before their time but home is wherever the most of your loved ones are buried it's the place that's found the perfect balance between breaking your heart and layering your skin it's the factory that you were built in on the nights when you feel defective it's the safest space for you to return to so to the woman in Boston who thought that I was worried to the couple in Seattle that wanted to know if my skin has ever tasted bullet to the people trying to figure out which Detroit to believe It's a complicated story with more semi colons than periods on its best day it's still broken but it works it grinds it is ours still

—"Detroit", Natasha "T" Miller

#Poems #Detroit poem #Natasha “T” Miller #Midwest #Michigan #Detroit

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polygonal-trees · 9 months

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There are currently five episodes of Animated on YouTube and so far they have contained:

Optimus Prime proudly spouting authoritarian propaganda

The implication that while the majority of work on earth is automated this is not a blissful utopia and the rise of robot workers drastically increased unemployment and poverty

Megatron's desecrated corpse being used as an armchair but it's fine he's a bad guy don't worry about it

The confirmation that while the majority of work on earth is automated this is not a blissful utopia and the rise of robot workers drastically increased unemployment and poverty

A line about prisoners being used as test subjects for experimental bio-technology??? hello???

A whole city's robots being designed, built, tested, distributed and controlled by one man's company but it's fine he's a good guy don't worry about it

The robots frequently experiencing catastrophic bugs and malfunctions but it's fine they're good guys don't worry about it

Detroit taking surveillance to the next level

A thief who dresses like Robin Hood and tries very hard to sound like him too

I can't wait to find out if they unpack any of this!

#this is all tongue in cheek btw not a serious criticism lol #poly watches #poly watches tfa

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ncisladaily · 3 months

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Jeff Kober has thrived on playing the baddie for much of his long career. The prolific actor has almost 150 credits to his name with stops on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X Files, Walker, Texas Ranger, The Walking Dead, New Girl, and NCIS: Los Angeles to name a few. Then there are more regular roles like Jacob Hale Jr. on Sons of Anarchy, Sgt. Dodger Winslow on China Beach, and most recently, on General Hospital where he won an Emmy for his portrayal of shady Cyrus Renault.

Next up is the pool shark thriller Break, where he takes on the role of pool hall hustler “The Hand” Jimmy. In the film, he looks to stand in the way of Eli (Daniel Weiss), the hotshot son of a former rival, from honoring his legendary dad and former rival’s legacy. Here the veteran actor talks about the project and reminisces about some of his favorite parts.

After all this time, how is it being that go-to bad guy?

Jeff Kober: I don’t know. It is interesting, but I enjoy working. What I’m trying to do these days is humanize everyone. Even if they’re not terribly nice people based on the story being told. They can’t be all bad. What’s human about that? That’s fascinating. So you’re not ever acting. You’ve built some type of world you’re living through. As a natural result of your belief system, this is what happens.

You’re the bad guy in Break. What stands out about Jimmy to you?

What I liked about him was it was such a specific world. So foreign to anything I’ve experienced, except bits here and there. I was in a carnival for a while as a younger man and that character would have fit well in the carnival. Someone lost a wallet on a ride. The carny who ran that ride and the carny who ran the ride next to it argued not about who got to turn in the wallet back to the person who lost it but who got the money that was in it. I didn’t understand those kind of people then. Now I kind of do to find my way in and what it would take for me to be like that. This is what made the role so fascinating to me.

How much of a pool player were you beforehand?

I played a lot of pool in bars as a younger man. I once was beaten I think 17 times in a row by Megan Branman, a casting director in Hollywood. So I was a moderately okay pool player. I enjoy the sport, but I am never able to play even remotely like in the movie. I got an evening of lessons. This guy just corrected a couple of things for me and suddenly a whole new world opened up for me. That was amazing.

What did you make of the environment the film takes place, gritty Detroit?

We’re seeing it everywhere today. People are frightened of so many different things. They are struggling to behave in a way with respect to themselves. They may be following the fear and doing things they don’t respect. Like when Eli decides to bet all the money he was saving for his sister’s education. That’s not out of a sense of love and compassion and wanting to do the right thing. That’s out of the terror of I can’t be shown up like this. I can’t have my ego smashed like this. We all have those challenges every day. I just look at it as is this the ego working here or the truth working here and are they aware there is a difference? Those are the questions that occur to me.

How was it sharing the screen with Darren Weiss as Eli?

With Darren, he stepped up and met me. We really play in that area of wanting to beat each other in the script. I’m really proud of what he did in this.

It has been more than 35 years since China Beach hit the airwaves. How do you look back on the show today?

I know it didn’t come out to watch easily over the years when so many others came out because of the music rights that were so spread out. It was impossible to get permission from that many music companies and have it make sense to make it commercially available. I love the fact people are still moved by it. Everyone was trying to do the best they could in order to honor the women and men we were representing. That’s really special when you get to do a job like that.

A lot of times shows will get canceled without getting a formal goodbye, but China Beach was lucky enough to have one. A touching one at that.

I’m grateful we did in the end show these characters accelerated forward and what it was like to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington D.C. This was very special, especially for me who have been around many Vietnam veterans. I still have Vietnam veteran friends in my life and see what they had and lost and the rebuilding process that had to occur. I really feel that China Beach was a part of opening up the consciousness of the U.S. Like, “Hey something happened here, and we’ve been ignoring it. Wake up.”

These days a lot of viewers know you from the soap opera world on General Hospital. How is it to step in and out of Port Charles as Cyrus? A role that won you a Daytime Emmy Award.

It’s more like being a sprinter than a distance runner. You have to be ready to go. You have to be ready to jump in any direction because you don’t know who you’re going to be from one week to the next until you look at a script. You never get to see where that script fits into the larger fabric of the story they’re telling. It’s a hoot because it’s jumping into the unknown.

Cyrus has been through a lot. What do you make of his evolution? Where do you see this character going in the future on the show?

It started out as a short gig. Whatever happened, they decided to keep me on a little longer. So they made me the mysterious half-brother of Genie Francis’ character [Laura Spencer]. They wrote this evil criminal as someone who is broken and needs his mother’s love. I was like, “How do you play that? I guess we’ll find out.” It was so much fun to do that. Then they sent him away to prison and he found Jesus, or did he? For me, it’s always about finding what’s the most interesting and grounded and most passionate perspective this character can have in a given time. They keep you guessing on that show. What he has come around to now, and being holier than now. The last time I saw him he was saying, “I got to work on myself before I tell anyone else how to do this.” Don’t you wish more people in the world realized that?

You’ve been in the shoes of a lot of characters. What are some of your favorites? For me, The Claimers leader on The Walking Dead has to be included.

Joe on The Walking Dead was fantastic because it was so rich. The people I worked with were also just fantastic. I would have done anything on that show for as long as they wanted me to.

What a way Joe went though.

It was the best death in the show up to that point I think. The last line for him was just great, “What the hell are you gonna do now sport?” Just amazing. I loved China Beach, too. The people, we’re brothers and sisters. We left a mark on all of our lives. A lot of us were really beginning our careers when we did that. It holds a place that will never be touched by anything else. I’ve had really exciting experiences. I had a run on NCIS: Los Angeles. I got to work intimately with Linda Hunt. That was otherworldly. There was an intimacy with her and strength in her work. She is like a national treasure. I can always tell how wonderful someone’s talent is when you just get in their face. They go, “Oh, someone is here.” Then they just jump in themselves. They did this.

Jeff Kober and Linda Hunt (Henrietta “Hetty” Lange) in NCIS: Los Angeles (Bill Inoshita/CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

One of my favorite turns for you was also when you were on New Girl as this curmudgeon of a landlord. During the rewatch podcast “Welcome to Our Show” the cast revealed a few years ago that Bruce Willis was almost cast as Remy. You made it your own though.

It was a hoot. I actually did a movie with Jake Johnson that is on Hulu now called Self Reliance. He wrote this character with me in mind. Then right around Christmas, I did his podcast where they give advice for people on really stupid things. We were reminiscing about the characters almost doing this threesome. I was in my underwear and cowboy boots. We shot the scene many times, and every time I would come up with a different yoga pose or something I’d be doing when they came to me like reading a book or spraying aftershave in my private areas. They give you free rein to be crazy. That was a gas.

#jeff kober #Linda Hunt #ncis la #china beach #general hospital

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 2 years

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Safe Place

Prompt: Detroit: Become Human prompt! (If you still wrote this fandom)Connor and Nines both believe that they have to be useful, and if they aren't being useful, they have to stay completely and utterly out of the way. Meaning, when they're at home with Hank and they aren't doing chores, they've hidden themselves in the garage/basement/random ads places around the house.

Somehow Hank (and Gavin?) Start to convince the two they don't have to be useful just to be around people/in order to be safe

- Auggie

Read on Ao3

Warnings: self esteem issues, some self destruction although it’s not intentional (androids don’t feel cold like humans), anti android sentiments

Pairings: gen

Word Count: 5035

Call it what you like, the remnants of some long-forgotten protocol, so old that the software engineers forgot they built it into their systems, or the lingering trauma of being abused and debased by anti-android humans, or even just some desire to still be of use to Lieutenant Anderson.

Whatever it is, it keeps Connor and Nines retreating to a creaky closet in the very back of the garage, hidden away until they can be of use again.

Connor started it. Admittedly, Connor started a lot of things, seeing as his model predates the RK900 by several iterations, but this one in particular he has no issue claiming as his idea.

Admittedly, this did originate when Lieutenant Anderson was far more vocally anti-android, if not in the explicit threats than in his complete and utter disdain for Connor. The lieutenant has since expressed that he no longer holds this perspective, and in fact has several times been written up for disciplinary hearings because of his explosive conduct toward other anti-android activists, but some habits are hard to break.

Especially when they’re coded into subroutines that predate deviancy.

It had been after another long night when Connor insisted the lieutenant was in no shape to drive. He’d driven him home as the older man slumped against the side of the car, helping him out to his front door, out of the snaw-soaked clothes and beer-stained boots, and down to his bedroom. Sumo had sniffed curiously at him—Connor had an idea of just what the dog was able to detect on the both of them and did not blame him in the slightest when he whined and went to the other side of the house.

“Ah, damn dog,” Lieutenant Anderson had grumbled, “no sense of loyalty.”

“On the contrary, Lieutenant,” Connor had said as he lowered him to the bed, “Sumo has proven that he is a loyal companion to you by allowing you to be helped to bed by a trustworthy source.”

The lieutenant had scoffed. “Trustworthy my ass, you’re the one who dragged me out of here to go and investigate a sex club.”

“And he trusted me to help you do so. You and I both know that spending your evenings with a loaded gun doesn’t lead anywhere good.”

It had been quiet after that for a moment, then a hand had landed clumsily on Connor’s face. Shocked—well, he hadn’t known it was shock, not then—Connor had accidentally let the lieutenant go too quickly and he landed hard on the bed.

“My apologies, Lieutenant, I did not mean to drop you.”

“Sure, you didn’t.” The man had rolled over and shoved his face in a pillow. “Why don’t you go fuck off to your little storage closet until you gotta drag my ass outta here again, huh? Be a good little android.”

Connor had stayed long enough to see that the man would indeed slip back to sleep in a safe way without risk of asphyxiation or ethanol poisoning before turning to close the door.

He paused, LED cycling yellow.

Technically speaking, he didn’t have a storage closet. He had a small apartment, sure, as a base for Cyberlife to keep track of him so he didn’t have to go all the way back to the tower every time, but that was hardly a storage closet. It was large enough to house him, a table, and several shelves of stable thirium for consumption and/or replacement. Not within the boundaries of what could be considered a storage closet, unless the lieutenant was referring to the exorbitant walk-in closets that frequented the upper class penthouses of downtown cities.

No, if Connor were to find a storage closet, he would find a proper one.

He wondered as he searched what it was that made him want to obey this specific order. He did not feel inclined to follow most of the lieutenant’s orders to ‘be a good little android,’ as he puts it. Indeed most of his efforts were to the exact opposite.

But this one…the lieutenant had a difficult evening, most of it at Connor’s behest. Granted, they were doing what they were supposed to do, but still…

Spraying water on him, while the fastest way to sober him up, may have been considered quite rude.

No, it was rude.

Effective, but rude.

That seemed to be a common denominator in most of Connor’s behavior toward the lieutenant.

So this once, he would be polite. It was only fair.

Software instability increased.

He shook himself out of the subroutine and continued searching for a closet. There was one closet in the kitchen, but that housed a vacuum and several cleaning products. It would not be possible to fit inside it as well, and Lieutenant Anderson would probably not appreciate all of his belongings being displaced in such a manner. So this would not do.

There was also the closet in the bedroom, but that seemed even less likely to work. For one, it would require disturbing the lieutenant again, and two, he has previously expressed that he doesn’t enjoy being surprised. An android in his closet would certainly surprise him.

So he ventured into the garage. The car was parked, perfectly straight, and there were a few other items dotted around. Several were automotive, likely bought in anticipation of their phasing out as more and more humans chose to use fully automated cars and cabs, and dog food for Sumo. In one corner, however, there was a single storage locker.

Connor walked over and opened in, LED spinning.

Current Objective: [ ] Locate Storage Closet

[ ] Rusty

[ ] Discreet Location

[ ] Chance of Discovery?

Connor turned back toward the door. Hank did not come into the garage unless it was to get to his car or to get food for Sumo, and the bag in the kitchen was still halfway full. It was unlikely that Hank would choose to leave before Connor was alerted to another case.

Current Objective: [ ] Locate Storage Closet

[ ] Rusty

[X] Discreet Location

[X] Low Chance of Discovery

The rust would be tolerable. It would not spread to him, nor would the same type of corrosion be capable of causing him damage.

Current Objective: [X] Locate Storage Closet

[X] Rusty

[X] Discreet Location

[X] Low Chance of Discovery

He opened the locker and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He checked the mechanism from the other side, ensuring he could open and close the door from both sides, before settling in for the next foreseeable time frame.

Perhaps this would not be so bad.

It was not, in fact, and in a few hours, they were called in again. The lieutenant seemed to be in much better spirits and didn’t comment on the fact that Connor had been in his house not long after the alert had gone out.

It worked.

And, like any good subroutine, once it has been proven to work, it runs without interruption.

So whenever the lieutenant would order him to a storage closet, or to go off and be a good little android, he would go to the garage and step into the storage locker, closing it and standing there until he was to do something again.

Until the day after they went to Kamski’s.

Software instability increased.

Connor’s hands were shaking. They were not supposed to do that. They were supposed to be balanced and measured and he was not supposed to be upset. Androids didn’t feel emotions. They didn’t do that. That was not something they were programmed to do and thus they did not do it.

“Hey.”

Connor jerked his head up and looked over. Lieutenant Anderson glanced over at him again.

“You’re shaking like a leaf, kid.”

“My apologies, Lieutenant. I do not know what is wrong with my systems.”

The man huffed something that sounded approximately like damn androids and their formalities before speaking at an audible volume. “You’re upset, Connor. That’s okay.”

“Androids do not get upset.”

“Well, maybe this one does.”

The car stopped at a red light. The lieutenant sighed and turned to face him.

“You wanna talk about what just happened?” 

Something hot and uncomfortable shot through Connor’s circuits. “I am aware that I set back our mission and I failed to complete my task. I see no reason to linger on such a failure.”

“I’m not talking about that, Connor, I’m talking about what actually happened.”

“That did actually happen, Lieutenant—“

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” The light turned green and they started driving. “Why don’t you do me a favor and tell me exactly what events occurred as soon as we walked into Kamski’s pool room.”

Connor frowned, LED spinning yellow. “We walked inside. Kamski was swimming with two Chloe model androids. The third one, the one that met us at the door, helped him out of the pool and gave him a robe.”

The car turned down another street. “Then what?”

“Then we asked about deviants. Kamski answered a few of the questions, albeit rather obliquely—“

The lieutenant snorted.

“—but insisted that we would receive more useful assistance if we destr—“

Connor stopped. He did not tell his vocal processor to stop, but he stopped talking.

“Then,” came the quiet prompt, “then what?”

“He—“ Connor swallowed— “he retrieved the Chloe that had met us at the door. Explained to us that she was an android.”

“And then?”

“He…he made her kneel.”

It was a common sign of deference, of power. For the one who knelt, it meant submission, subservience. Surrender, even. But Chloe had just looked like she was there, not doing it actively out of her own choice, only because Kamski had told her to.

“Then what, Connor?”

“Kamski retrieved a firearm. From a desk by the pool. He…he gave it to me.”

His memory banks helpfully played the footage back of the gun trained on Chloe.

“He told me ‘destroy this machine, and I’ll tell you everything I know.’”

Was he speaking in his own voice? In Kamski’s? He didn’t know.

“‘O-or, spare it, if you feel it’s alive,’” he continues, not sure what it was that he was saying anymore, “‘but you’ll leave here without having learned anything from me.’”

“And what did you do, Connor?”

“I—I—“

Software instability increased.

“What did you do,” Lieutenant Anderson asked again, his voice closer, “what did you do, Connor?”

“I couldn’t shoot,” Connor mumbled, “I…I didn’t shoot her. I couldn’t.”

“That’s right. You didn’t shoot.”

Something warm touched his shoulder. He turned, noticing it was a hand. The lieutenant’s hand. He looked up. The lieutenant was looking at him with a strange expression on his face.

“You didn’t shoot,” he said again, still speaking in a quiet voice Connor had never heard him use before, “and then we left. That’s what happened, Connor.”

“But I failed.”

“You didn’t. You chose not to do something, that’s not the same as failing.”

“But we didn’t learn anything from him! We didn’t—“

“Easy, Con, you’re spinning like a light show over there.”

“What?”

Lieutenant Anderson smiled and tapped his temple. Oh. His LED.

“Look at me.”

Connor blinked.

“That’s it, you just look at me. Only at me, Con, that’s it. There you are.” He managed to hold the lieutenant’s gaze. “Good job. Just keep looking at me, okay?”

“I don’t understand what looking at you is supposed to accomplish.”

“Well,” the lieutenant drawled, “you’re panicking right now—“

“Androids don’t panic.”

“—okay, well, your LED is flashing red, then, and I need you to focus on me so we can calm you down a bit.”

“I am calm.”

The lieutenant just raised an eyebrow.

Warning: several systems compromised. Core overheating. Software instability increasing.

“O-oh.”

“Yeah, Con, it’s okay. Just keep looking at me, okay?”

Current Objective: [ ] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

“That’s it, you’re doing a good job.” He shifted in the car seat. “Now, I want you to tell me five things you can see.”

Current Objective: [ ] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

[ ] Shaving Cream

[ ] Freckle

[ ] Asymmetry

[ ] Necklace

[ ] Split Lip

“You have shaving cream just under your left ear,” Connor said, “and a freckle underneath your right nostril. Your left eye is slightly higher than your right and you’re wearing a thin cord necklace. Your lip is split.”

“Good job.” He swiped at the shaving cream and rubbed it on his jacket. “And thanks. Always miss one spot. Now, can you tell me four things you can hear?”

Current Objective: [ ] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

[ ] Car Engine

[ ] Birdsong

[ ] Wind

[ ] Hank Lieutenant Anderson’s Voice

“The car, the birds, the wind, and your voice.”

“Good. That’s really good, Con. What about smell, can you smell three things?”

Current Objective: [ ] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

[ ] Beer

[ ] Cologne

[ ] Kamski’s Pool

“I—your jacket still smells like beer,” he started, “and I can smell your cologne.”

“Good, Connor, one more thing.”

“I—I can still smell the chlorine from Kamski’s pool.” His eyes widened. “I can still smell it. From where he touched me.”

“Hey, stay with me,” the lieutenant said sharply, “come on, I need you to focus, can you do that for me?”

Current Objective: [ ] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

“Yes. Yes, I can do that.”

“Good. You’re doing a really good job, Connor, really good. We’re almost there. Can you name two things you can touch?”

Connor’s hands twitched. “My clothes and…and my coin.”

“Can you show me one of your coin tricks?”

His hands move without thinking, tossing the coin back and forth between them, over and over until he caught it between two fingers.

“Don’t tell anybody I said this,” the lieutenant said, his voice lowering even more, “but that’s really cool.”

“It is?”

“Yeah, Con, it’s cool.”

“O-oh.”

Software instability increased.

“Can you name one thing you can taste?”

Connor ran his tongue around his mouth. “Thirium.”

“Good job, Connor, you did real good. You did it.”

“What—what did I do?”

Lieutenant Anderson smiled and sat back. “You calmed down. Your LED’s yellow now, that’s better than red, isn’t it?”

Yes, yes, it was. Connor blinked and looked around. The car had been pulled over into an empty lot, parked as the snow blew by. “When did we stop?”

“A while ago. I wasn’t gonna drive with you all upset.”

Current Objective: [X] Look at Lieutenant Anderson

Connor looked back at the lieutenant. “Thank you for helping me. Crisis management is part of standard police training, and you are…you’re good at it.”

He snorted. “Well, I don’t know about that. I did pick up a few things about handling upset people, but that—that was just the senses test, Con.”

“The senses test. A grounding technique for individuals that struggle with anxiety and other distressing conditions.”

“That’s right.”

Connor looked back down at his coin, flipping it back and forth. “Outside of Kamski’s, you said you thought I did the right thing.”

“I did. I do.”

“Even though it didn’t advance our mission?” 

“Yeah, Con. I didn’t want you to kill that girl either. Not that you should’ve done it if I did,” he said quickly, “but no, I’m not upset over you not wanting to play some sick twisted game of Kamski’s.”

He clapped his shoulder.

“You don’t have to just be a good little android for people like that, okay?”

“O-okay.”

The lieutenant had nodded and the car had driven off again, but his words still looped in Connor’s memory banks. And that night, he climbed into the locker and stayed there, closing his eyes and trying to remember what it felt like to just have help calming down.

It was…nice.

He didn’t mind being a ‘good little android’ for the lieutenant.

And so it went.

Then the uprising had happened and Connor was a deviant. He didn’t have objectives and missions anymore, he just had himself. He got to decide what he wanted to do.

And when Lieutenant Anderson had asked if he needed a place to stay, well…

He wanted to go. And so he did.

Now his objectives were making sure the fridge was clean, that they had groceries, that Sumo got walked regularly and the lieutenant went to bed on time. His health was improving—slowly, there was only so much Connor could do—but he stopped drinking so much, started getting more restful sleep, and spent time out in the city showing Connor around.

But Connor still went to the locker when the lieutenant went to sleep. He didn’t know where else to go.

And then Nines.

Nines.

They had been raiding a Cyberlife warehouse. Trying to find out what else the company was hiding now that the androids were free. They’d stumbled across a massive storage container marked PROTOTYPE: DO NOT OPEN and the lieutenant had scoffed.

“That’s as good as an open invitation, isn’t it?”

But even he fell silent when they revealed an RK900, the next model in Connor’s series, who looked around as his systems came on line and then stared at Connor.

“Connor?”

Connor had stepped forward, raising his hand as the synth skin peeled back to reveal his chassis, holding it out. The RK900 had done the same, initiating a base system interface.

In hindsight, it was unclear whether it was an effect of Connor’s deviancy, the RK series’s software similarities, or an unknown feature of the RK900. Whatever it was, it was effective.

Upon retelling the story, the lieutenant snorts and ruffles Connor’s hair.

“You mean you spent two seconds holding each other’s hands and then turned to me and said you had a new baby brother.”

The RK900—Nines, as he had said when he chose his name, came home with them that evening. The lieutenant had watched fondly as Connor had showed him around, as they met Sumo, and then proceeded to ‘spoil him rotten’ with cuddles and pets until he laid on top of both of them and refused to let them move.

Nines was a good android. And he was Connor’s brother.

So when Connor went to the locker after the lieutenant went to bed, Nines had followed.

“What are you doing?”

“I spend the night in here.”

“What for?”

“I—“ Connor stopped. Why did he do that? “…I don’t know.”

Nines tilted his head, LED spinning yellow. “Is it something you used to do before you deviated?”

“Yes.” 

“Could you…stop doing it?”

“Theoretically, yes. I just—I suppose it’s habit at this point.”

“Where did it come from?”

“One night during the investigation. The lieutenant told me to be a ‘good little android’ and go back to my storage closet. I did not have one, so I thought this one would suffice. And it has.”

Nines frowned, glancing at the door back into the house. “Does he know?”

“I think so. He’s never commented on it.”

“Does he still want you to do it?”

“When I don’t have a task to perform to be useful, I perform this one.”

“Oh.” Nines’s LED spun again. “May I come in too?”

Connor had moved over and Nines had stepped in. They shut the door.

“It is small.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Neither do I.”

“Do we just…wait, then?”

“That’s what I’ve always done.”

“Okay.”

And that was that.

At night, when they had no more tasks to do, they would go into their storage locker and wait. Sometimes they would go into stasis, sometimes they wouldn’t. It was…nice.

And then one day, Nines had disappeared from the precinct around 11:35am and was nowhere to be found. The lieutenant had shouted at another officer who had been working with him, trying to find out where he was.

Connor knew.

“Lieutenant, I think I know where he is, I’m going to go find him.”

“Yeah, yeah, go for it.” He’d glared one more time before throwing himself in his desk chair. “Call me the second you find him, you hear?”

Connor had nodded and he went back to the lieutenant’s house, carefully going into the garage and knocking on the storage locker door. It had opened to reveal Nines with a bright red LED and shaking hands.

“What happened,” Connor asked quietly, stepping inside and shutting the door, “are you okay?”

“I…I was…bad,” Nines whispered, “and…and the officer told me to go away.”

“What happened,” he repeats, “can you tell me exactly what happened?” 

“We—I don’t know! I was just trying to help and do the paperwork and everything and then he—he yelled at me and said I was bad.” Nines’s hands shook harder. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“Shh, shh, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Connor reached out and stilled his hands. “Look at me, Nines.”

Nines had turned. “C-Connor, I want a hug.”

“Come here, then.”

He’d pulled Nines into a hug and held on in the cold and drafty storage locker. He held his brother as his shoulders shook and he sniffled into his collar.

“It’s okay, Nines,” he said softly, “you’re gonna be okay. Sometimes things happen. It’s okay.”

“I want to stay in here,” Nines whispered, “I want to stay here where it’s safe and we don’t have to go outside ever again.”

“But outside has Sumo.”

“Oh. I like Sumo.”

“I like Sumo too. He likes us back.”

“…can we go pet Sumo?”

“Yeah, let’s go pet Sumo.”

He’d texted the lieutenant on the way inside. The lieutenant had texted back, saying they could stay home, he’d be there in a few minutes. Nines crouched down and let Sumo sprawl across his lap, burying his face in the dog’s fur as Sumo let out a low growl.

“It’s okay, Sumo. We’re just a bit upset.” 

Sumo let out a low bark and settled in as Connor cuddled up to Nines’s side again.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “you’re okay.”

They went into the locker when they had nothing else to do, and they went into the locker when they had nowhere else to go.

It was nice.

And then it became winter again.

And the locker was cold.

Snow and ice blew into the garage, chilling the metal until it was too cold to touch, blasting through the rusted holes until they had to stand with their arms wrapped around each other to stay warm. Nines had his head tucked over Connor’s shoulder, his nose buried in the crook of his neck. Connor balled his hands up in Nines’s coat and pressed their chests together to keep the thirium pumps from being exposed.

It was cold.

They each ran the calculations separately and they knew they could last the night, they just had to hold on.

Just hold on.

And that was that.

So it’s a complete surprise when Sumo starts barking inside.

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know. I don’t detect any intruders.”

“Maybe he’s just upset?”

They can hear the lieutenant inside, wondering why Sumo is barking up such a storm. They hear whining and the scrape of his nails against the door.

“Alright, alright, I’ll open it, calm down.” A screech as the door opens. “There, you happy?”

More whining as Sumo races into the garage, before the locker shakes and shudders as Sumo paws at it. He barks again, louder. 

“What are you doing? There’s nothing in there, what—“

Both of the androids flinch as the lieutenant yanks open the locker door, cold air flooding the inside.

“What,” he says quietly, “the fuck are you two doing?”

“Lieutenant?”

“Why,” he asks again, anger rising in his voice, “are you two out here freezing instead of being inside?”

“This is the storage locker, we’re supposed to be in here.”

“The fuck you are, what are you doing?” The lieutenant reaches in and tries to pull them out. “You’re gonna freeze to death out here, the fuck’s wrong with you?”

They refuse. Connor sets his jaw. “You told me to go back to my storage closet, Lieutenant, this is my storage closet.”

“When the fuck did I say that?”

“After the Eden Club.”

Several emotions flicker across the lieutenant’s face before he takes a deep breath. Something seems to change in him and he reaches down at pats Sumo, who has desperately been trying to get at the two brothers.

“Why don’t you just come out of there for a second,” he says quietly, “and we can talk about this? You can explain everything and I can not freeze to death out here.”

It’s true, the lieutenant’s temperature is dropping steadily. Nines glances at Connor and Connor nods, slowly letting go. Sumo whines and practically shoves them all back inside before sprawling across both frigid androids.

“Right,” the lieutenant says, sitting on the couch as Connor looks up at him, “now, after the Eden Club, you said? About a year ago?”

“Yes. We had just returned from the park and I helped you into bed.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you told me to be a good little android and go back to my storage closet until I was useful again.”

 “And you took that as go into the old locker in my garage?”

“I…didn’t have a storage closet, Lieutenant. So I found one to go into. It was out of the way and you didn’t have to worry about it.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “And you…kept doing that?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Nines? You too?”

Nines nods. “It’s a task to perform when we have no other tasks to perform.”

“And is that where Connor found you that day when you disappeared?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“You guys are killing me with that ‘lieutenant’ business,” he says quietly, “you know my name. You can use it.” 

Connor swallows as he sees Nines glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey, hey,” comes the quiet voice as Connor swallows again, “you’re spinning red again, Con, it’s okay. What’s my name?”

“Hank Anderson.”

“That’s right.” He crouches down in front of Connor. “So you can use it.”

“H-Hank?”

“Yeah, Con, that’s right.”

Hank ruffles his hair and looks over at Nines.

“You too.”

“Hank.”

“Right.” Hank groans slightly as he sits down. “Now, are you telling me that you two have been spending your nights in that old ass locker?”

They nod.

“And when you’re upset, you go there too?”

“It’s safe in there,” Nines mumbles, “I like it.”

“Me too.”

Hank stares at them for a moment before he nods. “Alright. How about a compromise: I don’t want you boys freezing out there, you want your safe place. Why don’t we move it into the other bedroom?”

They both draw back. “But that’s not out of the way.”

“You see me go in there?”

“…no.”

“Then there we go.” He stands up. “C’mon, I’m not moving that thing by myself.”

The two androids scramble up to follow him and they manage to get the locker into the spare bedroom. A cloud of dust kicks up as they open the door but the room looks…fine. It looks like a bedroom. They set the storage locker against the wall and Hank nods.

“Right. That’s better, isn’t it? Now I won’t worry that you’re freezing out there, huh?”

Connor nods. “You’re sure you won’t mind?”

“No, Connor, I don’t mind you being in here. Actually—“ Hank leans against the door jamb— “this whole room could be your storage closet.”

They both turn and stare at him.

“Not right now, not until you’re comfortable,” he says, holding out a hand, “but I don’t come in here very often and you two need more space that’s not that tiny thing. And we’re gonna have a longer talk about what being ‘useful’ and ‘having tasks’ and all that shit, but not right now.”

“We…we can have this whole room?”

“Yeah, Nines, you can.”

Nines wanders over to the bed and touches the sheets. “These are soft.”

“I bet.”

“I…I would like a hug, Hank.”

Hank smiles. “Well, come here.”

Nines almost runs over and lets Hank hug him, rubbing his back and ruffling his hair. After a few seconds, he holds his other arm out.

“Con, you too.”

“Hank, I—“

Connor doesn’t have a chance to finish before Nines is reaching out and pulling him in.

“Shit, you two are cold,” Hank grumbles, “under the covers, the both of you. Sumo!”

Sumo trots in and happily jumps up on the bed. Hank points sternly at him.

“You’re only up there because you have a job, mister. You warm these two up, you hear me?”

“Hank, I—“

“We don’t—“

Hank hears none of it, sheparding the two of them over to the bed and making sure they get under all the covers. He folds his arms and stares at them.

“Now, you’re gonna get some sleep or stasis or whatever it is you do, and you’re gonna be warm and rest, you hear me? We’ll deal with the rest of this in the morning.”

“Okay.”

“Good.” Hank adjusts the covers over each of them, making sure they’re covered, pausing when Nines sniffled. “What is it, Nines?”

“You’re a really good dad.”

Hank splutters for a moment before he shakes his head and ruffles Nines’s hair. “Go to sleep, you menaces.”

“Night, dad.”

Hank shakes his head again as he closes the door behind him.

Nines turns over to look at Connor. “I…I like this, Connor.”

“I like this too. It’s warm.”

“And soft.”

Nines looks over at the locker. “Can we stay here tonight?”

“Yeah. Yeah, let’s stay here tonight.”

Hank’s right. They’re going to have to talk about this more. But for now…